Suitcase Full of Ordinary

by Joan Leotta


In the attic of my mind,
amid the detritus of childhood,
sits a suitcase full of ordinary moments,
days passed without comment,
waits…locked away.
Knocked about  by life’s larger forces,
its corners are rounded, red fabric
of colorful sunrise and sunsets torn.
Bits of “plaster” bumped from my
inner walls,
scratches on my own inner frame,
I pull this case down from that inner attic,
glad I’ve found it,
though I’m both curious and
afraid of what might be hiding inside.
Now, I need to find the key,
to unlock the importance
of the ordinary that rests within.


* * * * *

Joan Leotta is a writer and story performer, expressing her love of words and desire to encourage others on page and on stage. Her work has been published widely as poems, essays, articles, and books. On stage she most often performs folk and personal tales dealing with food, family, nature, and strong women. She has been published in Writing in Woman’s Voice, Silver Birch, The Ekphrastic Review, Anti-Heroin Chic, Tema, and others.